Welcome to this guided meditation,
Journey within to awaken your heart,
Find a comfortable position,
Preferably sitting with your spine upright but lying down works fine too and gently close your eyes and begin the practice by taking a deep breath in through your nose and slowly exhaling out through your mouth releasing any tension or stress.
Let go of any thoughts or distractions and bring your awareness to the present moment.
Repeat two more breaths in this way,
A deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth and one more deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Now allow the body to be completely still and begin to observe the natural flow of your breath with no further influence over the breath for now.
Feel the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body,
Notice the rise and fall of your chest or abdomen and pay attention to the gentle rhythm of your breath,
Bringing a sense of deep calm and relaxation to your entire being.
Now begin to bring your attention to the region of your heart,
Pay attention to and feel any sensations in this region of the heart,
Maybe you feel something,
Maybe nothing at all but either way just continue paying attention to this part of the body,
Feel the heart,
Perhaps you can sense a more physical aspect of your heart or maybe it's more of an energetic feeling,
Continue feeling and connecting to your heart and now take a more deliberate and deeper breath in and as you do,
Imagine that you are breathing directly into your heart,
Straight through your chest and as you breathe out,
Imagine the breath is leaving directly out through the heart,
Through the chest,
Continue breathing in this way for several more breaths and now as you continue breathing in and out from the heart,
Bring to mind someone or something you are deeply grateful for,
It could be a person,
A place,
An experience,
A memory or any other simple aspect of your life,
Allow yourself to feel the gratitude welling up in your heart,
Filling it with warmth and appreciation as you breathe into and breathe out from the heart With each breath in,
Imagine that you are drawing in this feeling of gratitude directly into your heart,
Let it grow and expand,
Filling every cell of your being with a profound sense of thankfulness,
As you exhale,
Imagine that this gratitude is radiating out in all directions from your heart,
Touching all aspects of your life and the world around you and now gently bring your attention back to your breath,
Feel the steady rhythm of your inhales and exhales,
Notice how your body feels,
How your heart feels,
Take a moment to appreciate the stillness and peace you have cultivated within yourself and the deep lasting connection to your heart and as we come to the end of this meditation,
Slowly begin to bring your awareness back to the present moment,
Wiggle your fingers and toes and when you are ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Remember you can return to the state of connection with your heart at any time,
Carry the feelings of gratitude and love with you as you go about your day and allow them to guide your actions and interactions with others,
Take a final deep breath in and as you exhale,
Let go of any remaining tension or stress,
May your heart be a source of love,
Peace and compassion in your life and in the world around you,
Thank you for the practice
